The all-female quartet also discuss having creative control, shout-out Demi Lovato and dish on what it's like being the best-selling girl group of a generation

Renée Fabian

GRAMMYs

Oct 9, 2017 - 4:27 pm

Thanks to their Billboard chart success, this group has been called the biggest modern-day girl group in a generation. Who are they?

Fifth Harmony: Biggest Girl Group In A Generation?

That would be Fifth Harmony — Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane, and Lauren Jauregui — who have raced up the charts and straight into the hearts of millions of fans. Their 2017 self-titled album marks the first the group has released since Camila Cabello departed in December 2016. But a lineup change hasn't slowed them down.

Fifth Harmony peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, their fourth consecutive Top 10 album, equaling the Top 10 status of iconic groups Destiny's Child and Dixie Chicks, thanks in part to a slew of breakout tunes such as the gold-selling "Down" featuring Gucci Mane, "Deliver," "Lonely Night," and "Messy." Working with producers Skrillex and Poo Bear, among others, for the first time the quartet had a hand in co-writing and producing each track on the album.

In this exclusive Recording Academy interview, Fifth Harmony dished on why their eponymous LP is their best album yet, what each member brings vocally to the table, the artists they look to for inspiration, and more.

Congratulations on your self-titled album. What's been the most exciting part about releasing your album so far?
Jauregui: This is the first album that we were able to be creatively a part of. We co-wrote more than half of it and on the production side of things we curated this whole album. Like every single song, we chose — which is the first time that we could really say that, honestly. And that was just so special for us, to be able to give to the world and to hear their reaction to it and to see the fans' reaction to it. We feel like it's our best album so far, so we were just ecstatic to release it to the world and hear the feedback. It was amazing.

What were some of your inspirations as you were writing?
Brooke: As we were writing, some of our inspirations were our own personal stories and experiences. We would get in the room with the producers and the songwriters and we would let the track inspire us. The music really would speak to us and we would say, "Oh, this music sounds like something fun, or sounds like something really happy," like going out with your friends [on] "Sauced Up." And then another one like "Bridges," the music was very sentimental, so we were inspired by just wanting to have a powerful positive message and share love, hope and unity on that record, so it would depend.

Jane: I think, as a whole, we look up to a couple of artists [and] girl groups. We definitely are inspired by Destiny's Child, TLC, En Vogue, and we made sure to incorporate that into our music because that's who we are and that's who we listen to. There's a couple tracks in there that have R&B tones to it, such as "Lonely Night," "Deliver," my fave — all of our faves, collectively. This album, like she said, it's definitely our fave and the one album I'm most proud of.

What are some of your other standout tracks off the album at the moment?
Kordei: Honestly, my favorite has always been "Angel." I really love "Angel" and I feel like people got to see us in a different light and we kind of got to explore as artists and become different parts of ourselves.

Jauregui: My favorite would have to be "Lonely Nights." I love that song so much. I think it's so cool. And I also love "Don't Say You Love Me." Right now I'm really vibing that song.

Brooke: My favorite off the record, it does change, but I think I really just love "Deliver." I love the throwback [sound]. It even reminds me of Motown music. It has that kind of funky, jazz, R&B soul to it, which is what I love. I love that we were able to bring that fire and flavor and soul to this record, which is so, so amazing. And everybody just shines in their element. Also every time I hear "Bridges" I always get chills. It never fails. My goosebumps come out.

Jane: Overall on this album, what I love so much is you get to hear us all in a different light, such as our vocals. And we were able to showcase that more so than ever. Some of us bring different strengths to the table, so I love that some of us showcased a side of us that we were never able to show to anybody. Like, Lauren's playing with like her raspy tones or whatnot but she's belting most of the time and she's always afraid to go there. Or even Normani doing her whistle notes but then taking it to her lower register and playing with that. And Ally too, she's a belter. She's the belter queen, so [you] feel her feel every lyric moving you. She literally moves you the way she feels about the song. I love it so much and just seeing every girl in every different light, it makes me really proud.

Let's talk just a little bit about "Down." What was it like working with Gucci Mane?
Kordei: We actually didn't get to meet Gucci until our first performance. I think it was for "Good Morning America." It's funny because so many people on an outside perspective often think that you're in the studio with an artist. We didn't meet him until our first performance. But he is such a special human being, an incredible artist and I know that we've been fans for such a long time and he just makes the process so enjoyable, so fun, and he's very appreciative for each and every opportunity. I remember even him being very excited for the MTV Music Awards, and he has the biggest smile on his face. It lights up a room, so we're appreciative to him and he killed his verse.

You are the best-selling female group of this generation. How do you feel about that?
Jauregui: That's just such an honor to be told that and to have been able to be part of it personally is really special. I'm so grateful to these girls and to what we've accomplished together because it's literally magical, what we've been through and what we have been able to create together and where we've been able to go together in our careers. I'm so grateful to be part of the biggest girl group in a generation. That's lit. We definitely worked hard, so I'm grateful.

Jane: All I can say is huge shout-out to Simon Cowell. He knew what he was doing. And Demi Lovato, Demi takes a lot of credit in this. Those two definitely [deserve] credit for putting us together.

Kordei: Just the fact that we're able to be that for this generation is something really, really special.

Jane: What's so funny, when we're in the studio, when we're on tour, I feel like we are in this space where we really don't know how big we are. When we take in those moments to ourselves in a room, taking downtime, I feel like I can never process the words, "You're in the biggest girl group in the world." It's really hard to take that in.

Fifth Harmony Go Solo: What's Your Favorite Track? | Poll

Following the news that the fan-favorite group is taking a break to pursue solo careers, we want to know which solo track is your favorite jam

Renée Fabian

GRAMMYs

Mar 23, 2018 - 2:23 pm

It's been a complicated week for Fifth Harmony fans.

Fifth Harmony: Biggest Girl Group In A Generation?

When the beloved group announced on March 19 they would be taking an indefinite hiatus to pursue their solo careers, the reactions were mixed. While many Harmonizers are understandably devastated, it's certainly not the last we'll hear from Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane, and Lauren Jauregui.

"After six years going hard, non-stop, we also realized that in order to stay authentic to ourselves and to you, we do need to take some time for now to go on a hiatus from Fifth Harmony in order to pursue solo endeavors," they wrote on Twitter. "We are all very excited and grateful to be able to take this time to learn and grow creatively and really find our footing as individuals."

While it may not be the same as having the whole group together, we've got an eye on the future. So we want to know. Which Fifth Harmony member's solo track are you most excited about so far? Vote below!

Polls

What Fifth Harmony member's solo track are you most excited about so far?

"Don't Say You Love Me" Is Fifth Harmony's Worthy Finale

Leaving their career as a group behind, the quartet warns about empty words while moving on to inspire future fans as independent artists

Philip Merrill

GRAMMYs

May 18, 2018 - 3:46 pm

On May 18 Fifth Harmony released their "Don't Say You Love Me" video, presenting the song from their 2017 self-titled album as a departing ballad, affectionate but ambivalent. Its message is that love is beautiful but who needs empty words, because it's real feelings that matter. Career-wide, they have inspired plenty of those.

On May 11 the quartet comprising the popular group, Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and Normani Kordei, gave what they expect will remain their final performance (for now at least), in Hollywood, Fla. For all those they couldn't say goodbye to in person, this video is their online beautiful finale.

A post shared by Fifth Harmony (@fifthharmony) on May 18, 2018 at 12:14am PDT

To better put their graceful departure in perspective, a look at the group's sales shows serious rank. In 2013 their EP Better Together reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. In 2015 their debut full-length Reflection peaked at No. 5, followed by 2016's 7/27 and 2017's Fifth Harmony both hitting No. 4. Beyond just sales numbers, plenty of real feelings made Fifth Harmony matter and inspired an audience of millions, both with and without Camila Cabello, who departed the band at the end of 2016.

Fifth Harmony: Biggest Girl Group In A Generation?

Fifth Harmony's body of work helped encourage a generation to appreciate that music adds meaning to their lives. New generations will hopefully be inspired in years to come as these talented artists pursue wherever their dreams lead — solo for now.

Fifth Harmony Announce Hiatus To Focus On Solo Endeavors

The band's "wild ride" of success reaches a peak as the young women declare now is the time for them to see what they can do independently as solo artists

Philip Merrill

GRAMMYs

Mar 19, 2018 - 11:32 am

Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui and Normani (Kordei) have already been successfully exploring solo projects, and on March 19 the four members of Fifth Harmony announced their upcoming hiatus as a band. While they have remaining concert tour dates to complete together this year, the four are determined to see what comes out of time pursuing their music in a solo capacity, and promise their Harmonizer fans that they will "keep making you proud, each other proud and ourselves proud."

Fifth Harmony: Biggest Girl Group In A Generation?

Of the five tracks the women have already pursued independently, Dinah Jane's "Boom Boom" with RedOne, Daddy Yankee and French Montana from October 2017 is the only one to have exceeded 100 million views, so far. Lauren Jauregui "Back To Me" with Marian Hill has been out since December 2016 and hit 7 million, but her January 18 "All Night" with Steve Aoki is already up to 9 million. The other two were released in January as well, with Ally Brooke's "Perfect" with Topic breaking 1 million views, and Normani's "Love Lies" with Khalid having passed 16 million.

The adventures of top music bands often reach a crossroads where members feel they must "learn and grow creatively and really find our footing as individuals," as Fifth Harmony put it in a statement on Instagram. Although Camila Cabello's 2016 departure felt more permanent, Harmonizers hope the "biggest girl group in a generation" will enjoy their independence, find their own personal success, and then reunite so fans can see them perform together again. Given the high anticipation for whatever the ladies choose to do on their own, it's likely the "wild ride" they've been on will keep going strong.

Camila Cabello Talks Going Solo, Michael Jackson, Love & Poetry

Singer/songwriter also discusses touring with Bruno Mars, the vulnerability in her music, being a hopeless romantic, and why love reigns supreme

Renée Fabian

GRAMMYs

Sep 20, 2017 - 3:16 pm

Camila Cabello is writing a new chapter. Best known to fans as a former member of the group Fifth Harmony, she's now striking out on her own with an ambitious solo debut.

Camila Cabello: Healing Pain Through Music

The Cuban-born singer/songwriter has recently collaborated her way onto the Top 20 charts with both "I Know What You Did Last Summer" with Shawn Mendes and "Bad Things" with Machine Gun Kelly. Her debut solo album, The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving., due out Sept. 22, was preceded by her first official single, "Crying In The Club" in May. The single rose to No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100, demonstrating her impressive vocal range. She has since released her second single, the playful "Havana," featuring Young Thug.

In this exclusive interview, Cabello opens up about the biggest lesson she learned from working on her upcoming album, why she's a hopeless romantic, her favorite Michael Jackson jam, and her love of poetry, among other topics.

You went solo last year. Now you've had the opportunity to create your own music and find your own style. What else has changed for you since you've headed out on your own?
Everything. I [recently] came off tour with Bruno Mars. I was opening for him on the 24K Magic tour, and I got to play all these songs that I've been writing for my album live for the first time in front of a new crowd every night. I feel like I've learned so much as a performer in the month that I was there and the month that I was in the recording studio making my album. I feel like I learned so much as a songwriter and even just as a person. I feel like there's something about writing and looking into yourself, something so introspective about that whole process, that it just makes you learn stuff about yourself that you didn't even know before. I feel like the cool thing about this whole experience is that I'm getting to put me and my personality and my experiences into sonic form. It's going to change as I grow up over time, but it's cool that I get to capture all those phases, starting now.

A post shared by camila (@camila_cabello) on Jun 26, 2017 at 8:02pm PDT

You've been pretty candid about the process of writing your debut album, and how a lot of it is about processing pain and making music to heal. How are you hoping that's going to resonate with fans?
I learned that the most important thing about pain and about going through a hard time is the only way to get through it is to get through it and not around it and not try to avoid it. There was definitely a time where what I was going through I was trying to just get the pain and lock it in a drawer and pretend it wasn't there. I think that's why it was even harder to deal with. I feel like that's the lesson that this album taught me and I can't even say it enough when I talk about it because it's just part of the human experience — pain — no matter who you are, no matter what your circumstances are, you're gonna be let down and hurt in one way or the other and that's part of being alive. The only way to get through it is to talk about it and get help if you need. Hopefully my fans can take something from that too.

We've heard a few of the singles from your album already. Which song might surprise your fans the most and why?
I think that there's definitely some really heavy ones that they'll probably be surprised to hear, just because I feel like I'm such a bubbly person and I am generally a really happy person, but I think that for anybody that's a public figure or does this as a career, it's hard to — even when you are going through a hard time — to get in an interview and be like, "I'm going through a really hard time right now." It's just not that way. I feel like my music is the most honest version of me, and I feel like [fans will] be like, "Wow, I didn't even know she felt like this at some point in her life." I won't show it on stage. And that's what I really like, that they're gonna get to just see me in that vulnerable side, which is just like the human side.

What are the things that you look to for inspiration when you're writing songs?
Love. Love is definitely a big thing. I'm 20, so I love boys and I love love. I've always been a hopeless romantic and growing up around the house my family listened to a lot of Latin music and a lot of boleros and a lot of very, very romantic music. I think that I've always grown up just loving love and romance and the idea of falling in love. … It could be connected to romantic love, it could be a friend, it could be a song about my mom, a song about my sister. I think anything that causes you to feel something. Any emotion. That's the one thing that all humans have in common is emotion.

A post shared by camila (@camila_cabello) on Jun 10, 2017 at 7:49pm PDT

Recently you performed "Man In The Mirror" at a charity event. What made you choose that particular Michael Jackson song?
It's so hard to pick a Michael Jackson song. But, especially now where things are in our country and in the world, I feel like "Man In The Mirror" is the song I connect with the most of any Michael Jackson song. And it was a concert for the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union] and with everything going on in the world, the first thing that you can do to make it better is look in the mirror and make yourself better. That's such a powerful message and it's also something that everybody can do. You don't have to be rich and donate a bunch of money to a place, you don't have to have a platform to talk about it. You can just be nice to the people inside your own house, the people on the sidewalk that day. You can be kind to yourself. I love nights like that where it's not about me performing my song, it's just about a message that I'm conveying through another song that has a message that I feel should be heard. So that was really, really fun, it was really emotional. It was really nerve-wracking because it's a Michael Jackson song. But I kept telling myself that it's not really about me. It's about the sentiment of that night and what people need to hear, because ultimately it was just about spreading hope and love.

A post shared by camila (@camila_cabello) on Apr 4, 2017 at 12:19am PDT

I've heard that your favorite book is the Book Thief. What's the last great book that you've read?
I read this poetry book a few days ago that a fan gave me that was called Love & Misadventure by Lang Leav. It's just a bunch of really, really short poems and it's really cool because you can read it superfast. You can read it in an hour. And I love poetry. That's usually what I do in my spare time. I go on Tumblr and I go on the poetry tag sometimes because I just love love.

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